XF 2.0 Usergroups & new members

[Thomas_A]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get my head around the best way to set this up. I want all new members to be in a "newbie" user group by default upon registering. This group would restrict their access to the conversation system, the ability to post links and some other features. After X amount of posts made by this user, they would then be "promoted" to a different usergroup (let's call it "trusted" for now) which would have different permissions (ie they can now use the conversation system and post links).

I need them to be removed from the newbie group once they have met the criteria (of 5 posts).

Can anybody advise me on the best way to do this?

EDIT: If I understand the way usergroups work correctly, I would have to set "registered" as the "newbie" group with limited permissions, and then have a secondary group ("trusted") with the non-limited permissions which a user would be automatically promoted to upon the specific criteria. Does that sound about right?

Thanks

 

[jeb35]

User group promotions. You'll need to create a new user group called "newbie" and set content posted to at least "0" messages along with specific permissions you want them to have. Or possibly rename registered user group to "newbie"? Then create a new user group "trusted" with additional permissions and then set up a user group promotion with your set amount of specific posts you want them to have or whatever.

 

[Thomas_A]

@jeb35 thanks for the reply! I have done it the second way round, renaming registered as "new member" and limiting permissions and then creating a new group "valid member" which has non-limited permissions. Then using the promotions as you said to promote them when they are "valid" as a user state and have 5 posts.

Hopefully I have not missed anything.

Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

ave done it the second way round, renaming registered as "new member" and limiting permissions and then creating a new group "valid member" which has non-limited permissions. Then using the promotions as you said to promote them when they are "valid" as a user state and have 5 posts.

That is the correct way to do it.

Set the Registered user group to the minimum permissions all members will have, then use promotions to add to user groups with expanded permissions.

 

[Roth]

Hi, I was just researching this topic. Our forum has been around for several years, but we now want to add a 'newbie' group with restricted site access as the OP described. What is the best way to do that without potentially causing access issues for current members?

*Should we create the 'Trusted' group, assign the criteria for promotion, and then designate the Registered Members user group as the 'newbie' group?

*After that should we reset the permissions for the 'newbie' group to limit their permissions as part of the default Registered Members group for new registrations?

*Would the newly implemented promotion criteria automatically usher the long-term members into the 'Trusted' group or would we need to batch-update them?

*Is a maintenance shutdown recommended to implement those changes?

 

[Suzanne O]

Ahhhh cheers for this. Just did this to fix up a user who is a known pain in the bum.

 

[TPerry]

*Should we create the 'Trusted' group, assign the criteria for promotion, and then designate the Registered Members user group as the 'newbie' group?

That's the way I do it. Registered has the bare bones I want to give and restricts certain other functions. Once they meet the promotion requirements, they get promoted to a secondary group that grants the new permission sets for them (edit post times, create a signature and a few others).
I think you can manually batch update promotions using the batch user update process. You simply select that they are in no secondary groups and any other criteria you want to use then choose proceed and add them to the secondary group. If they are already in another secondary group, you will want to run the process a second time and select that group those users are in and then add them into the new secondary.
The promotions don't automatically run until a user has been active recently. Those that have not logged into the site in a while will have to log in and then the promotion runs on the CRON job (it runs every 20 minutes). I have another promotion that runs based upon number of posts that will then allow the user to be added into another secondary group that allows classified ads creation.

 

[Roth]

Those that have not logged into the site in a while will have to log in and then the promotion runs on the CRON job (it runs every 20 minutes). I have another promotion that runs based upon number of posts that will then allow the user to be added into another secondary group that allows classified ads creation.

Hmmm...I wonder how the CRON window of 20 minutes between run times would affect them when they come back. The 'newbie' group isn't intended for 'Trusted' members to view. It's more of an orientation area that people enter once their registration is approved, and once they complete a few things, they get moved on to full access. It's a writers and roleplayers forum so there's some learning and 'vetting' to be done before turning new folks loose on the community.

 

[Paul B]

Promotions are applied at the next log in.

 

[TPerry]

The 'newbie' group isn't intended for 'Trusted' members to view

Then simply give the registered user group the bare bones minimum.
Create a new group for the newbies that they get promoted into using some specific criteria like a set number of posts or time period.
Then create a another group that they can be "promoted" to afterwards (if wanting to use the automation).
I don't know of any way to make the "newbie" group "invisible" to the "Trusted" members though.

But what you are describing is exactly what the Registered user group can be configured as... the bare bones permissions until they meet whatever criteria to participate fully are met. Then the promotion runs, they get assigned to that secondary group and have all normal permissions.

As for the "turning loose".... you simply set the forum node(s) to be read only to registered users, with the "Trusted" users having write access to it using the node specific permissions for the group.

 

[Roth]

My question mainly focuses on how to handle all the members who currently occupy the Registered user group. I would be pruning permissions for the group that they're currently in, but I think you both answered that with the info about promotion criteria.

As far as making the newbie group invisible, if it's not possible, that's okay. I can just put that content down at the bottom so the members with full access don't have it cluttering up their main page. It's an issue of design aesthetics more than functionality, so not a huge deal at the end of the day.

Thank you both!

 

[TPerry]

For those in the registered group only, you would need to create your new group first, give it the permissions you want, then do a batch update to update the ones you want into that group (or simply allow it to run after they have logged in again and the CRON runs). If you do the latter, there will be a delay between them logging in and them seeing having the new permissions then.
You will have to use criteria based upon days joined and posts made most likely to get the upgrade to work in batch mode.
When you change the registered group to the minimum, anyone with that as their only group will then only have those permissions, so you need the new group created and promotion set up before you start rolling with reducing your registered group.
You may also want to use the Display styling priority for each group and then also specific User Banner Text if you are wanting to differentiate them from the registered users group.

As for content... those in the registered group would not have access to write to those forum nodes, only read. If you place them at the top of the node list (by priority) then the general chit-chat ones that the regular users would have access to (which you would have to grant by group permission for those nodes for Registered users to have write access).